10 gallon

Hi i started my ten gallon saltwater tank and i am having a problem with my green algae cause it has taken over my tank I have 96 watts but i had it off and i did a change of water and it is back. I have hermit crabs and snails and it isn't working
can someone please tell me what to do. I have a powerhead and a regular filter should i go with a bio-wheel filter will that help.

hi and welcome to the board.. we need a little more info such as what kind of water are you using Tap or RO ? what are all your levels at like ph, ammonia, nitrate and nitrite, phosphate. how long has your tank been running and what if any fish you have in it. i know alot of info huh ?

You have to slow down and do some research. You should be useing RO/DI water only...Tap water is no good! This is probably the main reason you have algae.
You said the tank has been up a little over a month..Did it even cycle yet? Way to early to have fish in there, and the Angel is a no-no for a 10 gallon.
Get some books my friend and research first. Down the road you'll be glad you did.
Good Luck---

The angel is a pygmy angel and they said it will be fine in a 10 gallon tank. My friend does saltwater tanks for a living and she said the water had cycled and it would be fine and to use RO water next time cause it was only slime from the waste.

i agree that you are going to fast. like previously stated it would be a good idea to research and also get some books. it is a good idea to maybe do small waterchanges each week with RO water, tap could be a reason for the algae. it would also be a good idea to buy the test kits so you can monitor your water yourself, its a good thing to learn. i suggest that you take the angel back to the lfs for credit, i believe your tank is not yet mature enough to keep an angel. also the tank is probably to small for it. do you have any live rock in your tank and do you have crushed coral or live sand ?

I agree with using RO for your water changes. Also, how long do you run your lighting system. When my tank first cycled I had a problem with algea and I left my lights off for a few days and that helped out. Also, once you are sure that the tank is cycled think about a good cleanup crew, i would stay away from blue leg hermit crabs, they will kill the snails and each other for the shells.

I have live sand with live rock. I have two fish in there they have been fine ever since I got them which they have been in there for like 2 weeks. They said the green was not algae but is a slime from using the Tap water. I have four snails and four hermit crabs. I have had this all along. We also have two filters in it one has a bio-wheel and we also have a power head. Where can I get good info about a saltwater tank because our pet stores don't carry any good books for info. I always go to a place that only breeds saltwaterfish and that grows coral.

Hi, I totally agree with the suggestions. However trying to get a book about "nano" tanks will not be easy. But all the other books pertaining to marine tanks will give you a huge wealth of info.
This forum is full of great advice too.
As for the water, I went through the same thing as you are. I had cyano in my tank ( red slime algae) unsightly stuff :sleepy: Hard to get rid of too but I managed to. I was using RO water for a while but what works for me might not work for you.
I use straight distilled water, my nano has been running now for 9 months and everything is doing just great. Mushrooms are multiplying like crazy, I really need more rock badly for them. My xenia is growing great guns so the DI water works great for me. Tap water is fine for the freshwater aquariums like I do have also but for salt do change over to RO or RO/DI you will be glad you did :yes:
As for the fish, now that I have had my tank for 9 months. It houses a tomato clown and one green chromis. If I had an opinion about this I would have to say go with 2 percs or 1 clown and a goby along with your clean up crew. What I am finding right now is my clown is very territorial and at times chases the chromis around. No fins getting damaged here but when they say a 10 just does not give you the room they sure do mean it.
I love my nano and don't plan on going any bigger but really it is meant for one fish or two really small ones and some cleanup crew. Hope your fish do well if you plan on keeping them.
What type of clown do you have in there?
good luck :happyfish

just so you know, any tank usually 29 gallons and under are called nano tanks. thats cool that you are upgrading, try to go a little slower with your new tank and make sure it has cycled before adding any fish. hope this helped.

The hardest problem with my nano that I am having is the water evaporation-You have to do a weekly water change with it always or the salinity raises to high. I would reccomend a max size of 5-6 inches of fish for any nano aquarium. You have to thinnk about how much byproduce comes out of the fish and into 10-12 gallons of water, most nanos are good for small crabs, corrals, and a single fish.